Wednesday, October 1, 2008

We had gone to bed in summerand we awoke in autumn;for summer passes into autumnin some imaginable point of time,like the turning of a leaf.

– Henry David Thoreau

It's been just like that. One day I'm sweating in a tank top, the next I'm reaching for the sweatshirt. Not that it's a bad thing, for I dearly love the crisp, cool nights of fall and the deep blue cloudless afternoon skies. As I work in the garden or walk down the road, I take a moment and close my eyes so I can focus on how good the sun feels on my skin. I want to etch it in my memory for later recall, when winter's blustery winds are cutting through me.

The chores in the garden have switched gears. I no longer worry about deadheading spent blooms. I now watch as they fade and turn crispy brown, then collect their seeds for planting next spring, or leave them as food for the birds. The roses have been pruned just enough so that winter winds don't whip them about. Seasoned compost has been spread over the vegetable garden and annuals that have lived good summer lives have been added to the compost bin for next year's use.

There are many other tasks to be completed in the coming weeks, as first frost looms near:

pot up the brugmansias and bougainvilleas for bringing inside

dig up tender bulbs for winter storage

plant garlic and bulbs for spring

mulching

more seed collecting

I like to look back on the summer's garden at this time, measuring the successes and learning from the failures. As always, the spring and summer seasons passed so quickly, but we are fortunate to have cameras to capture the beauty that is now just a memory...

It was a good year.

Posted by
Kylee Baumle

18
comments:

Kylee your garden makes me sigh, both at its beauty and ambience, and with more than a little envy. :) That 5th photo down, under the willow, is enchanting. Delightful. (And, your blog design is wonderful, too -- loads much faster than the graphic bkgrnd did.)

Nancy ~ Well, thank you. I so enjoy my gardens. I'm the happiest when I'm there, whether it's weeding, pruning, taking photos, digging in the dirt, or just sitting and taking it all in. It's therapeutic, just being surrounded by so many of God's miracles.

I decided to just go with a plain background, and I like it just as well. Glad it loads faster!

Anna ~ Awww...I didn't mean to make you cry! You know, sometimes I'm so exhausted from working in the gardens, but I never really think of it as work. I just love doing it and that makes all the difference, doesn't it? :-)

How lovely and colourful it all looked, you certainly had a good garden year.

I haven't pruned my roses yet, nor spread compost on the veggie garden. I'm lagging behind due to all the garden projects this year and all that rain we'd been having. I'm a fair weather gardener, I don't like gardening in the rain. Do you?

I don't have to tell you which pic on your blog today is my favourite, eh? ;-)

This was a lovely walk about your garden Kylee. I bet with all your running you now have more energy to keep up with such a large prolific garden. Of course I love seeing your kitties in and around the garden.

Hi, Kylee--I'm catching up on my reading this morning, and I was so glad to find this posting--since I came to your blog recently, it was so nice to go back in time and see your garden over the summer! I liked your to do list, too--how do you overwinter the bougainvillea? I just brought mine in last year, but it really struggled inside and then it didn't grow much this summer.

BTW, Salix is Fort Wayne this weekend at his reunion--wish I could have gone with him, but I'm off to Phoenix for my mom's 80th next week.

So nice following through your blog all year long. I am situated in the tropical country with no feel of season change. I really enjoy reading what you are doing in your garden and experiencing something I do not have here!! I don't keep the seeds, just sow them again if I want to...

A beautiful autumn garden you have, full of colours and sunshine! It's never easy to say goodbye to fall and welcome the gardener's "lazy" season, winter. But as you wrote, we have cameras to catch and store all the amazing moments of a Spring and summer garden. (And autumn has its good and beautiful "sides" too ;-) when it is sunny and not too cold!!).Let's enjoy the last moments of fall!

Jessica ~ Thanks! Yes, I'm finding it difficult to believe that it will very soon be over, too!

Cameron ~ I agree! We're having a record-breaking warm day today, yet I am finding it hard to get out there dig the remaining bulbs up. Maybe I'm in denial?

Shady Gardener ~ Thank you. I'll have to remember to look at the photos when I need a gardening fix!

Cosmo ~ My bougainvillea struggles over the winter, too. I am sure to not overwater, though. They usually lose almost all their leaves and I wonder if they're going to make it, but they always do.You're probably enjoying Phoenix right now. Happy Birthay, CosmoMom!Thanks for the pat on the back (for the half-marathon)! :-)

Mooiyah ~ Nice to see you here, all the way from Singapore! I do love the seasons, but in the winter, I'd rather be in Singapore, I think! :-)

Barbara ~ These pictures are actually summer ones (July). But we do still have quite a bit of color left. We're having warmer weather than normal and I'm loving it. The longer winter stays away, the better! Fall is a beautiful time.

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